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Christian Perfection

Monday, 2 December 2013

It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens
of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The
emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing
specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you accept this concept
of personal holiness, your life’s determined purpose will not be for
God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we
say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s
will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10),
why shouldn’t He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your
life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should
be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your
unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.

Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection.
Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that
shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of
human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that
hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next
thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living
perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that
God is unnecessary— that through your own human effort and devotion you
can attain God’s standard for your life. In a fallen world this can
never be done. I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with
God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not
admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to
God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His
showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do
what He wants.